My trip has become extraordinary. Every day of trekking through the safari wilderness of South Africa brings more adventure. I stopped in a small village near the the Maluti-Drakensberg mountains yesterday for some camping supplies.
Almost immediately after stepping foot into the village, I noticed a vampire scent. The village was very welcoming to me, probably noting me as a tourist, which is common in this area. A nearby national park boasts some of the most beautiful mountains and cliffs man could possibly lay their eyes on. Yet even as popular as the area is for tourism, the little village was tucked back where only a few tourists ventured, and only one vampire scent stuck out to me.
I wasn't familiar enough with Olek's scent to be sure if it was his, but being only one vampire scent, I was hopeful that I had found him. I had spend two weeks in South Africa so far, and done all sorts of dangerous, incredible, and out-of-character things. It was a blast, but I was eager to find Olek and have some company. As unimaginably exciting as my trip had been so far, it grew boring being by myself- particularly at night when humans were often sleeping.
I ventured into the village, slapping a friendly smile onto my face and gesturing as best as I could to the locals there- who spoke little or no English- that I was looking for supplies. I needed oil for my lantern especially. While I was gathering supplies, I was searching for Olek as discreetly as possible. I asked an elderly woman if she knew of a place I could pay money to sleep- I didn't know if they had a concept for hotel. She nodded and pointed towards a small, run-down building.
As I looked at the building, a somewhat intoxicated Caucasian man stumbled outside. I asked him if he spoke English and was relieved when he did. He told me the building was a hotel of sorts, providing meals, bed space, bathroom accommodations and liquor to those with money. He also laughed at my appearance- a blue button down shirt and khaki pants and told me it wasn't the Holiday Inn. I thanked him for his time and went inside.
I looked around the place when I got inside- my eyes immediately adjusting to the much darker room. It was dirtier and dingier than I expected, but not bad. It looked like a very old fashioned bar, with tables along the outer rim, and a long hallway to what looked like rooms in the back. I assumed the bathroom would be down the hallway as well. I could desperately use a shower after hiking through the dirt for the last couple of days. I had grown accustomed to Esme's spotlessly clean bathrooms at home and missed them terribly.
I walked up to the bar and placed a large pile of South African coins- which I was told were called a Rand- onto the counter. Many people stopped and stared at me, causing me to feel a little stupid for about half a second. I told the local man at the counter that I needed a place to stay for the night, hoping he spoke English. He started to respond to me in his native tongue when an Egyptian looking woman with a tight black bun, tall, long limbs and very dark green eyes interrupted him. I nearly choked on her perfume when she approached, and had to hold my breath, feeling grateful for the fact that I didn't need air to breathe.
"I will be glad to give you a room for the night. You are very generous. That kind of money pays for an entire week here, not just a night. You are looking to get robbed flaunting that kind of money around here." Her voice was enticing and familiar but I couldn't place it anywhere.
"I think I can handle my own, thank you." I followed her down the hallway, where she put a key into a door and showed me inside to another dingy room. There was a small bed, a small dresser, and a small table and chair. There was a bowl for water and a cup. It would suffice.
Unexpectedly, the woman grabbed me with an inhuman force and threw me flat against the wall.
"What do you want here? Your kind is not welcome in these parts!" She hissed.
A vampire. But her eyes were green- I could see now that they were fake, the red color was burning at the edges. But how?
I swung around and overcame her. I tried to read her thoughts and process my own at the same time. Her only concern seemed to be to get me out of her village. She was determined to keep her existence here peaceful. Peaceful- but her eyes were red.
"I am looking for a friend!" I told her through hisses of my own. We were wrestling with each other, rolling around on the ground now, neither of us overcoming the other, both seeming as strong as the first, neither wanting to cause damage and both wanting to keep the peace while at the same time make our point that we were stronger. An impossible feat on all counts when it comes to vampires.
"Impossible. We have no friends here! Leave now before I tear off your limbs and burn them in a pyre!" Her voice was nearly a whisper but our bodies were so entangled I heard every syllable perfectly.
Just as I was about to admit my mistake of confusing her scent with Olek's and telling her I'd leave, she demonstrated her point. I heard my arm crack before I felt it.
"What is going on here?" Yelled a deep, angry voice. "Let him go this instant!" His voice boomed with authority, like a father speaking to a child.
"I- I'm sorry!" The woman cried out, releasing me right away. We both scuttled to opposite sides of the room before I looked up at my sudden savior.
As I saw who it was that had interrupted my losing battle, I was shocked, surprised, and relieved all at the same time.
"Olek!" I called out to him- the woman gasping in surprise when I said his name.
But Olek just smiled, rushed to my side, and grabbed me in a rough hug.
Ignoring the fact that my arm was just nearly ripped off, I hugged him back.
"My good friend Edward!" Olek greeted me with a smile.
And that was our absurd hello.
TO BE CONTINUED....
